Cadets

Sea Cadets

The Sea Cadets aims to provide young people aged 12 - 18 with an environment in which they can choose what they learn from a wide range of stimulating subjects and have fun while doing so.

The Cadets start with the basic syllabus learning about life skills and general knowledge that will help them progress in other areas including the history and the traditions of the Sea Cadets and the Royal Navy.

Topics that Cadets can expect to learn in their Unit during their basic training include:

Parade training

Fire prevention

Ship's routine

Basic seamanship and boatwork

Physical training

First Aid

Safety within the Unit

A wide variety of other subjects are also available, both on the water and on dry land. All Cadets learn about the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and other sea services. Courses are available in anything from rock climbing and shooting, through IT and communications to music and cook/steward. While some subjects are taught in the local Units, others involve courses at our training centres, which can be found all over the country.

Sea Cadets can also work towards qualifications in a variety of physical and practical subjects including:

Swimming

Climbing and abseiling

Diving

Meteorology

Marksmanship

Music

If the Cadet is keen, there’s no limit to what they can achieve. Most offshore training can be credited towards maritime qualifications including, once cadets are 18 years old, the coveted Yachtmaster award.

If you're aged 12-18 and like the look of the activities we have to offer, we'd love to meet you.

Activities - what's on offer

A wide variety of activities are available for Sea Cadets. Water based activities on offer include sailing, canoeing and pulling (rowing). Not all Sea Cadet activities involve water and although many of the land based activities have a nautical theme and are the basis for the water based activities, there are opportunities to take part in unrelated activities such as rock climbing, shooting, cookery and music.

Sea Cadets don't spend all their time at their Unit. Opportunities exist for taking part in district, area and national competitions and also to attend national camps and courses

Adventure Afloat

Sea Cadets can experience a variety of boating activities from canoeing through power boating to being part of the crew of a tallship.

Boating activities take place at Unit, District, Area and National levels - this includes training for RYA qualifications as well as competitions/regattas. The Sea Cadets also have a fleet of Offshore craft which provide experience at sea in coastal waters and opportunities for foreign visits to Europe.

Fun Ashore

Sea Cadets don't spend all their time in boats. Many activities are carried out in the Unit. A wide range of largely free activities are on offer ranging from rock climbing, engineering, IT and communications, to music and cookery.

Sea Cadet Training Centres

Although much of a Sea Cadet’s career is spent at their local Unit, we also have a number of training centres spread all over the country where Cadets and adults alike can go for specialist training and residential courses.

In a typical year, Sea Cadet training centres deliver an average five days of training for every Cadet in the country, which means that every Cadet should get the opportunity to spend some time each year in an exciting new environment, learning valuable skills, meetings Cadets from all over the country and making new friends.

National training centres are located across the Country from Scotland to Cornwall so everyone should be within easy reach of one of our training centres. Topics taught range from management and leadership, through marine engineering and firefighting to IT and full-bore shooting (though not necessarily at the same time!). Many centres also offer expeditions and, of course, boatwork.

Camps, Courses and Competitions

At our national camps and courses, Cadets from all over the country come together to learn subjects and get involved in activities that can’t be covered at their local Unit. Many of our national events take place on naval bases, where Cadets experience all sorts of activities they never thought possible, from trying the confidence course to working in a naval galley.

Sports are a very big part of life in the Sea Cadets. There are competitions in every Area in all kinds of sports, including sailing, rowing, canoeing, swimming and 5-a-side football, to name but a few.

If you're aged 10-12, then we'd love to welcome you into one of our Junior Sections.Junior cadets have loads of fun and participate in so many activities that it would make your head spin. The training is centred around projects which vary from building models and studying the environment, to using semaphore (sending messages by visual signs) and bandaging one of the instructors (though not necessarily at the same time)! Then there are plenty of activities to have a go at such as sailing, canoeing and sports. You may be able to visit some Royal Navy ships and different places of interest, as well as other Sea Cadet Units.

Once a year Juniors hold their National Camp and you meet Junior Cadets from all over the country and have a really great week, full of fun. We organise visits to different places, swimming, abseiling, badge making, sailing, power boating, competitions and even an It’s A Knockout competition. (This is great because you get to make all the adults very wet!!!). There is a special dinner with VIP guests and the whole week is finished off with a disco. So, don’t stand on the sidelines and watch, come and join us, you never know, you might enjoy it!!!